This invention relates generally to a humidifier and, more particularly, to a portable humidifier utilizing wick elements for supplying liquid for evaporation.
Portable humidifiers are used extensively to increase the moisture content of air so as to enhance the comfort level within an enclosed area. One well known type of humidifier employs a wick element to move by capillary action liquid from a portion thereof submerged in a water bath to another portion thereof exposed to evaporation inducing air flow. In one humidifier of this type, a fixed wick element is retained partially submerged in a low capacity evaporative sump in which a constant water level is maintained by a supply of water from a separate reservoir under the control of a valve. In another type of wick humidifier, a motor driven wick element has portions that are sequentially translated between a position within a large capacity water filled reservoir to a position through which air is forcibly moved to produce evaporation. Because of the requirement for retaining wick elements in positions partially submerged and partially exposed to moving air, prior wick humidifiers have required an overall volumetric size that is significantly greater than their maximum water storage capacity.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to improve the water storage capacity to overall unit volume ratio for a portable wick type humidifier.